Giggs hopes latest big night not wrecked by new Ronaldo
Nobody who was at Old Trafford that amazing night in April 2003 will ever forget the sheer electric drama of a match that United won 4-3 against the Galacticos but which ended with Real going through to the semi-finals 6-5 on aggregate, despite two late goals from substitute David Beckham.
The original Ronaldo was, in the end, the difference between the sides as the Brazilian striker scored a hat-trick of stunning quality, prompted by the inspiration of Figo, Zidane and Roberto Carlos.
A decade on and Ronaldo is back to haunt United again; only this time slimmer, more athletic and with rather more hair products; and Giggs, who played in that original tie, sees every chance of another spectacular evening.
“Everyone says it was a great game but it’s not one I look back on fondly because we went out,” said Giggs, who may well start on the bench but who has been guaranteed some part of the action.
“That night, Madrid scoring early it was always going to be an uphill task for us so hopefully that won’t be the case this time. But when you get a game like that, so many goals, two great sides, it’s amazing; and it could be like that again.”
United, who go into the match without defender Phil Jones because of injury, know they will have to defend as well as they did in Madrid in the first leg of this tie if they want to make it through to the quarter-finals; so memories of a decade ago should act as a salutary warning if they don’t want Ronaldo Mark II to end their dreams again.
“The older one, the fatter one, he was peaking at that time as a centre forward,” remembers United manager Alex Ferguson. “But this Ronaldo is a supreme athlete, an unbelievable athlete, never misses a game, has fantastic physique, pace, two great feet, good in the air, They are two different types but our main worry is not what happened 10 years ago but what will happen this time.”
What Ferguson can rely on, of course, is the experience of Giggs, who is rightly delighted to have the opportunity to win play the 1,000th game of his career in such a high-profile fixture.
“I’m obviously proud of playing that many games,” he said. “You set out different goals at the start of your career; first you want to get in the team then stay in it and then win things. You never think you are going to get to 1,000 games. I have worked hard and had a lot of things go for me, the continuity of the manager and playing with good players. And as I have got older, I have taken more things in, the second Champions League I remember enjoying more than 1999, for instance.”
Maybe Giggs will end up enjoying this game more than 2003, too. But there is always the chance that a Ronaldo will ruin things again, even if Real refuse to admit he can win the game on his own.
“We will have more chance to win if Ronaldo plays well,” admitted his team-mate Xabi Alonso. “But if we don’t defend very well, they will have chances to win. It is not just Cristiano, other players can have a really important impact on the game.
“But I think Cristiano will play well because he is looking forward to the game. I don’t think he will be affected by the emotion of the night. Before the game I think he will have a great reception but once the kick-off starts, he will just be thinking about doing the best for our team. Hopefully it will be a great night for him and for us.”
That, of course, is United’s biggest fear; because whatever the final score they know there is fat chance of keeping slim Ronaldo quiet all night.
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